


The Moth Effect

by Talyn_Bby



Series: RWBY Future Fics [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Also IronQrow, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, And healthy sibling dynamics, F/F, F/M, Future Fic, I'm just a sucker for future children meeting their younger parents, M/M, Multi, Qrow Branwen is Ruby Rose's Parent, Trans Whitley
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:29:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28518666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talyn_Bby/pseuds/Talyn_Bby
Summary: Ginger Schnee-Rose has lived life with one goal, to protect his little sister Rouge. When on break from Beacon, Ginger finds himself in Argus with his family for vacation. While relaxing with his sister on the cliffside where years ago, his mothers and their friends fought Special Operative Cordovin, the two are attacked by the child of some old enemies, and Ginger winds up being able to experience his parents' battle in a way he never quite expected.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Elm Ederne/Vine Zeki, Jaune Arc/Lie Ren, Jaune Arc/Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie, Marrow Amin/Clover Ebi, Oscar Pine/Whitley Schnee, Qrow Branwen/James Ironwood, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee, Tyrian Callows/Arthur Watts
Series: RWBY Future Fics [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2089101
Kudos: 18





	1. A Vacation Gone Astray

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic, I really hope you enjoy it! This will be the first part in a series. This part will focus on events from Volumes 7 and 8, while the next part takes us to Vacou, and so on.

Ginger Schnee-Rose was never an exceptionally extraordinary kid. He certainly had his mom’s will to fight, and his ma’s speed, but he certainly wasn’t like his younger sister. Rouge Schnee-Rose, born with Ruby’s silver eyes and a user of the Schnee family semblance. Most people would expect Ginger to resent his younger sister, after all, she seemingly had everything while Ginger seemingly had nothing. However, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Ginger loved his younger sister with his entire being. From the moment she was born, Rouge was the light of his life. He would do whatever it takes to protect her, hence why he enrolled at Beacon Academy. Despite his parents’ best efforts to keep it from him, Ginger had found out about Salem when he was a freshman in combat school. That’s when he decided that he would do whatever it takes to protect Rouge. He left for Beacon and wound up on a team with his cousins Blanche and Noire Xiao Long-Belladonna, and the daughter of some close family friends, Cherry Nikos. However, he was relieved for summer break, as he was in Argus with Cherry for summer break, along with his family. He smiles fondly as Rouge runs up to him. He crouches and opens his arms for her to run into, and lifts her up as he stands.  
“Awe, did you miss me, Roro?” Ginger chuckles softly.  
“Yeah! It’s been so loooonnnggg!” Rouge whines, leaning on him. She doesn’t even look up as her mothers ran over to the two.   
“Rouge! You can’t just run off like that!” Weiss sighs softly before straightening up and smiling at her son, “Hello Ginger, you’ve let your hair grow out, haven’t you?”  
Before Ginger had the chance to respond, Ruby ran over to him and hugged them tightly, “I missed you, baby! How’s it been at Beacon? Oh, you’ve gotten taller! Has it been fun? Yang was so excited when she heard you were on a team with the twins! How’s Oscar?” The small woman continued until her wife pulled her away. Ruby giggles softly and stands up straight, “I’m glad you were able to make it, Ginger. Why don’t we go to the hotel and catch up?

Meanwhile, within Salem’s castle, another child is preparing to take up her parents’ position. Selene Watts had taken only her one father’s name, in order to keep herself separated from the other’s… poor reputation. She ties her bun up and grins at her own reflection. Her golden eyes, a trait that shines through in the Callows bloodline, gleamed in the candlelight of the deep burgundy room. Her tail uncurls from around her waist as she stands. Today, she left for Argus. Her aunt Arachne had found information stating that the Schnee-Rose family would be there for holiday, and that included the brat with the Schnee semblance and the silver eyes. Selene had been assigned by Salem herself to go retrieve the child and bring her back to the castle. Salem had even given her a new type of grimm to assist her if there proved to be any trouble. Selene would be lying if she said she didn’t hope that there would be trouble so she could test this creature out. She lifts the glass bottle that houses the fluttering creature. It very much resembled a moth, however, Selene knew better than to underestimate Salem’s direct creations. She places the bottle into her bag and puts it over her shoulder, just in time for her papa to appear in the doorway.   
“Selene, are you sure you’re ready to do this alone? I’m certain Salem would allow me or your father to go with, in case things go awry.” Watts’ voice was stricken with worry. It was uncharacteristic for him, yet he couldn’t help himself but worry. Selene had never gone out of the castle without him, Tyrian, or Tyrian’s sister Arachne. Not only that, but this mission was inherently more dangerous than others she had been on previously. Any mission regarding that team RWBY was.  
“Papa… I’ll be alright. Our Queen has given me something to ensure that any… problems get resolved quickly.” Selene frowns softly and motions to her bag.   
“Alright, just… tell us when you get there. Your father is already a pacing mess.”  
“I will. I promise you.” She nods, walking over and hugging him before heading off.

A few days pass, and Ginger couldn’t be happier. This is nice for him, as he so rarely takes a break. Not only because of his passion to become a huntsman, but because he’s the leader of team SNNB, Sunburn. Professor Pine had called them that because he believed they all shone so bright during the exams, he could’ve gotten sunburnt. Ginger, however, thinks that he only calls them that because he ran out of ideas for team names. He quietly tiptoes to Rouge’s bed and softly shakes her, an attempt at waking the 10 year old that only resulted in a grumble and gentle shove away.  
“Come on Rouge… Wakey wakey! You and I are gonna go walk around town, sweetpea. I’ll even buy you crepes.” He coos softly, softly shaking her again. The young girl grumbles a bit more before sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Ginger knew she wouldn’t be able to resist the call temptation of crepes. “I’ll let you get dressed first, Roro,” he smiles softly before heading back to the kitchen area of the hotel room. Well, it was more like a suite. Ginger assumed that his mothers booked this room since it was smaller, but still big enough that it could accommodate all of them. He reaches up into the cabinets and pulls down four bowls, before realizing his mistake and putting two back. I guess I am like the team dad after all, huh? He thinks to himself quietly. He did often make breakfast for the rest of his team, mostly because all three of the girls are a disaster in the kitchen. He sets the two bowls down and pours out some cereal into each before closing and putting the box back up. He opened the fridge and picked up the jug of milk. He cracks open the seal and begins pouring out the milk as Rouge walks in.   
“Whatcha makin’?”  
“Cereal, Roro.”  
“...I’m still getting crepes, right?”  
Ginger laughs softly before responding, “Of course. What kind of big brother would I be if I denied my little sister crepes?” Rouge, seemingly satisfied with her older brother’s answer, hops up on a stool by the counter. Ginger smiles softly and sets her bowl in front of her before handing her a spoon. As soon as the two finish eating, Ginger rinses out the bowls and sets them in the sink. He would wash them once they get back. He smiles softly as Rouge hops off the stool and bounds over to the door.   
“Let’s goooo!” She whines softly, excited to go exploring with her older brother after being apart for months. Ginger nods and walks over, opening the door and giving her a little bow as she walks out of the hotel room. Once they reach the street, he holds out his hand to the small girl, who gladly takes it. She hops and skips around with her big brother, admiring the city around her. It's a pleasant change from the monotony of Atlas with its tall, white buildings everywhere you look. The variety of Argus made Rouge spark with excitement. There was so much to do and to see. Before she knew it, it was time for lunch.  
“Roro, why don’t we have a little picnic? I saw a spot perfect for one not long ago.” Ginger smiles down at her. Rouge gasps softly and grins, nodding excitedly. Ginger laughs softly and stops by a food vendor on their way to the cliff. Ginger remembers this cliff from the stories his mothers would tell him about their journey across Remnant. This is where they fought against Cordovin’s giant mech. It’s a shame they didn’t get to admire the view when they were here. It really is beautiful here. Ginger hums softly to himself as he looks out over the water. The cerulean waves crashed softly against the golden sands of Argus. The Altesian military base has gotten a long-overdue makeover, now being painted a glorious white, contrasting the cliffs around it. It was understandable why so many people would move to Argus. A stunning view, a mild climate, and easy access to Atlas and Mistral through the airway and railroad systems.   
“Ginger! Foood!” Rouge tugs on Ginger’s undershirt and pouts, snapping Ginger out of his daydream.   
“Ah, yes! Of course,” he smiles, sitting down where he was, facing the ocean, and pats the ground beside them. As Rouge sits, Ginger begins to open the brown bag, the crinkling paper only making his appetite stronger. He lifts out a BLT sandwich wrapped in shining saran wrap and handed it to Rouge before pulling out his own. Both of them were blissfully unaware of the peril that they would be going through in a few short minutes. Little to their knowledge, Ruby was searching for them after she had seen a familiar scorpion tail stalking around the city. Thankfully, Ruby never went anywhere without her trusty scythe.   
Selene’s tail flicks in anticipation as she watches the pair of siblings eat their lunch. She would have to dispose of the boy, but the question is, what would be the most effective method. Perhaps a simple murder, scare the child enough to where it would be easy to carry her away? Or perhaps she could use Salem’s new creation. No, that would risk the target. The grimm would be an absolute last resort. Her attention is pulled back to reality as the brother stands up. Now was the time to strike. She pulls out her twin daggers and sprints over, anticipating his block as he senses her aura. Ginger quickly turns and pulls out his sword, modeled after his grandfather Qrow’s weapon, blocking Selene as Rouge lets out a panicked yelp.  
“Ginger Schnee-Rose, correct? I must say, I’m impressed. I’d expect you to be the first to want that little brat next to you gone.” Selene smirks softly as Ginger’s face twists into a snarl of anger and disgust.  
“Shut your trap.”   
“As you wish.” Her tail swipes at Ginger’s legs, knocking him off balance and giving her room to kick hard in the chest. He coughs as he regains his balance and presses the button on his sword, the hilt extending out and blade curving out into the weapon’s scythe form. He had to keep his distance from her, and that tail of hers. He had to protect Rouge.   
“Rouge! Go find Mom or Ma! Now!” he barks out at her, running at Selene. Rouge didn’t listen though. The young girl was frozen in fear as her older brother rushed into battle with this stranger who had appeared from nowhere. She couldn’t even focus hard enough to even attempt to find their parents. Selene cackles as she ducks from Ginger’s scythe. He lets out a low growl as he continues to slash and spin his scythe, attempting to get a solid hit in on the faunus. Selene ducks behind him, slashing his side as she goes. He turns and growls, shit, shit, this isn’t good. She was aiming to break his aura, and if she continues to get the better of him like this, she’ll be able to make quick work of him. Suddenly a voice calls through the sounds of metal clashing.  
“Ginger! Rouge!” Ruby shouts out, running faster and pulling out her trusted Crescent Rose to protect her children. Selene’s expression sours. She knew that her plan had been foiled. She wouldn’t be able to get the girl with her here. But… A devious smirk creeps across her face as she reaches into her bag, pulling out the jar containing the moth creature. She quickly opens the jar and retreats just far enough into the woods to be unseen, but still able to watch what the grimm would do to the boy. The moth simply flutters in the air for a moment before contorting and snapping, growing in size until nearly the size of a Queen Lancer. Ruby’s eyes widen as she reaches Rouge, who clings to her leg. Ginger freezes, fear grasping at every muscle of his body as the mouth of the creature opens and a long proboscis wraps around his waist and begins pulling him in. Move, dammit! Why aren’t I moving? He screams at himself as the creature continues to pull him closer.   
“GINGER!” Ruby screams out in horror as the massive grimm gives a large flap of its wings, and Ginger’s vision goes black.


	2. A Very... Confusing First Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight with Cordovin is in full swing when suddenly, a mysterious stranger appears and protects Jaune and Nora despite the risk to himself. RWBY and JNR see no choice but to help the poor guy. Hopefully he doesn't mind an ever so slightly illegal trip to Atlas...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! Chapter two time babey! I told you there would be more canon interactions this time! I hope you enjoy it, and for some ambiance, feel free to listen to Big Metal Shoe during the first paragraph lmao.

“You get back here with my man!” A voice calls out, pulling Ginger out of unconsciousness. What… what happened? He stands up, wobbling a bit. He looks over at where he heard the voice, only for his eyes to widen. That, was a giant mech. And it was fighting a group of people.  
“I’ve had enough you ingrates-“ another voice echos around in his head, aggravating his headache even further. However, as he sees the mech’s hand behind to move towards two teenagers, a boy with long blonde hair and a girl with short red hair, he springs into action. He joins the blonde in sprinting towards the redhead, narrowly beating him. He grabs the two of them and activates the defensive part of his semblance, his body transforming to a massive rosebud around the two teenagers. The Mech’s hand slams into him, breaking his aura alone, and sending the three of them flying towards a rock. Ginger groans softly as the two teenagers stumble up and stare at him for a moment. He can distantly hear them talking over some form of comms as his vision darkens once more. 

“Is he alright?” Ruby talks softly to Jaune. The fight with Cordovin took a lot out of all of them, but thankfully, the only two who had their auras broken were Ruby and the mysterious stranger who protected Jaune and Nora. They couldn’t just leave him behind after his aura was broken, so hopefully the poor guy wouldn’t mind a surprise trip to Atlas.  
“He’ll be alright. Thankfully it was just his aura that was broken.”   
“That’s good… Do you see anything on him that has a name?”  
“No, unfortunately. We’ll have to wait for him to wake up for that.”  
“Doesn’t he kinda look like Ruby?” Nora pipes in.   
“I do see a resemblance,” Ren nods, placing his hand on his chin. Ren would have to thank the stranger for helping the rest of his team once he wakes up.   
“Wha- Oh! He’s waking up, everyone hush!” Ruby says, placing a finger to her lips before leaning over the boy. Every inch of Ginger ached. It had been a long time since his aura was broken while he was using his semblance, and he had forgotten how much that hurt. He mutters out a quiet curse, moving his arm over his forehead, retrying to recount events. He was in Argus, with Rouge when- oh no. Ginger shoots up, looking around frantically. Where in the hell was he? Who- wait a moment… his eyes widen as his jaw drops.   
“Mom?” The word echoes through the ship as everyone looks at each other, confused. Qrow is the first to break the silence.  
“Did you hit your head or something, kid?” Qrow states as the seat he is in swivels to face the group of children. He raises an eyebrow as Ginger’s eyes manage to widen even more, “What, heard of me or something?”  
“I- this doesn’t make any sense- I was fighting- and then,” he frowns softly as he realizes a possible explanation, “The grimm.”   
“Hey, slow down,” Jaune speaks softly, “We don’t understand what you’re talking about. Was your mother in danger or something?”  
“No, I… I’m not sure you all would believe me if I told you.” Ginger says softly, standing up.  
“Try us.” Yang suddenly says, crossing her arms while frowning, “We’ve heard plenty of crazy recently.”  
“Oh, right. This is after the Argus Limited accident.” Ginger nods softly, gaining a few more odd stares. “Well, to start, I.. I’m from the future, technically. And you two,” he motions towards Weiss and Ruby, “are my mothers.”  
“You’re right, that is crazy. What proof do ya got, kid.” Qrow interrogates, his eyes narrowed. This kid sounded like he was absolutely insane.  
“Well… Um…” Ginger frowns softly, trying to think of any proof, “My middle name is Nicholas, after my great grandfather. Mom always wanted to name her first child after him in some way.” Weiss’ face slowly turned a soft shade of pink as Ginger spoke, revealing that he had, in fact, been correct. Ginger continues, “I can also do this.” Suddenly, Ginger disappears into a burst of rose petals, floating between the members of the group before returning to his initial spot and condensing, activating the defensive version of his semblance, becoming a rosebud once more before exiting his semblance. Everyone’s jaws drop as he pants softly. He must still be low on aura after that hit…  
“Oh… my… gods!” Nora shouts, grinning excitedly, “You really are their kid!” Ginger nods softly as the others stand still in silent shock. He really was from the future but… how? Blake coughs softly, attempting to break the tension.  
“So… my darling little sister ends up with our beloved ice queen?” Yang says, a slight amount of teasing in her voice, “And they have a kid?”  
“Two, actually,” Ginger corrects, “me and my little sister, Rouge. 17 and 10, respectively. And right now, well… in the future I guess? Gods this is so confusing. Regardless, she’s in danger. She was born with ma’s silver eyes and has the Schnee family semblance, which has now painted a target on her back. I.. I was trying to protect her from a girl with a scorpion tail when she unleashed some... some sort of grimm. It looked… like a moth? At first, it was really small, then it got big and…” he shivers softly, gently hugging himself, “I couldn’t move. It.. it pulled me in, and the last thing I heard was Ma screaming for me, before I woke up just in time to get myself knocked out again.” Everyone was silent for a moment, before Ruby hesitantly walks over to him and pulls him down into a hug, holding him close.  
“We’ll help you get back to your sister and well, me, I guess. I promise,” She says softly. Ginger tenses up a bit before wrapping his arms around Ruby.  
“We all will,” Weiss chimes in, walking over and joining the hug. The three just stood there for a moment before letting go.  
“Hey, kids, sweet moment over?” Qrow frowns a bit. This was all too wild for him, just his luck, “First up, we don’t even know the kid’s name. Secondly, we can’t just go around proclaiming he’s Ruby and Weiss’ kid.”  
“Ah, yeah.. that makes sense. Thanks Uncle Qrow!” Ruby smiles at him before turning back to Ginger, “so, what is your name? Other than your middle name?”  
“Oh, it’s Ginger. Ginger Schnee-Rose,” He nods softly.   
“Well, that won’t work. That’ll confuse people at best, and raise massive red flags at the worst.” Qrow sighs, softly rubbing his temple. This was all a massive mess. The fight with that miniature maniac, this kid arriving, and the fight with the massive Leviathan grimm, this day couldn’t get any worse unless they went nose-first into the sea.   
“OH!” Nora shouts out, grinning, “What if we just got out the Schnee part? He already looks a lot like Ruby, plus people in Atlas wouldn't know much about Ruby’s family as compared to Weiss’!” Her smile fades and she lets out a nervous chuckle as everyone’s eyes land on her.   
“Actually, that could work, kid,” Qrow nods, “Summer didn’t often talk about her family to anyone. So to say if she were to have a sibling, and that sibling happened to have a son…”  
“I could pretend to be her cousin,” Ginger says softly, nodding along to Qrow’s words.  
“Exactly.”  
“And that could explain how I came out of nowhere.”  
“Now you’re getting it,” Qrow smiles softly, “Glad to see you got Weiss’ head instead.”  
“Wha- HEY!” Ruby huffs, crossing her arms, “That’s not fair, you can’t bully in front of my own son!”  
“Can and did, bean sprout, can and did,” He grins, standing up to ruffle her hair. He laughs as she grumbles and swats his hand away, “Regardless, we all agree this is the best way to go about this?”  
“I… don’t really see any other way we can if we don't want to explain ourselves every ten minutes,” Blake nods, crossing her arms, speaking for the first time since she and Yang had been picked up by the rest of the group.   
“It does seem like it would take the least amount of time to explain.” Ren agrees, and nods from the rest of the group come along shortly after.  
“Alright then, it’s settled. Now you kids rest up, you all did a lot today. Or not, but try to keep quiet, I’m gonna try to get some sleep before we gotta meet up with Jimbo.” Qrow waves his hand passively at the group of children, going back to his seat and swiveling it back towards the front a bit too fast, almost falling out and gaining himself a few snickers from the kids. He sighs and adjusts back in the seat before kicking his legs up and closing his eyes.

It had been a while since the rest of the group had fallen asleep, but Ruby couldn’t get herself to do the same. She opens her eyes and is surprised to see Ginger quietly pacing around. His hand was placed on his chin, and he was softly muttering to himself some inaudible words. A few moments later, he stops and sighs, crouching to the ground and covering his face with his hands and Ruby can hear the soft sounds of all too familiar crying coming from him. Ruby quietly gets up and walks over to him, sitting on her knees by him before softly setting a hand on his shoulder, causing him to jolt and look over at her. He quickly wipes his eyes and tilts his head to the side, silently asking her why she was up.   
“Couldn’t sleep,” She whispers softly, careful not to wake the others up, “Are… are you alright, Ginger?” Her silver eyes softly reflected in the moonlight, making the worry within them even more apparent.   
“I... “ He inhales, trying to calm himself before continuing, “I’m just worried. You- My- You sounded so distraught… And Rouge, oh gods, the poor kid is going to blame herself for this whole mess.” Ginger chokes on his own voice as tears threaten to pour over once more. Ruby frowns softly and pulls the boy into a hug. He sits there, stunned for a moment before wrapping his arms around her, allowing a few tears to fall as Ruby rubs soft circles into his back.  
“You’re worried, I get that,” Ruby speaks softly, doing her best to comfort him. Despite the fact she had no idea who he was now, he was her son. And she wanted to do her best to be there for him, even when the her he knew couldn’t, “But we’ll get you back to them as soon as possible, I promise. ...Why don’t you tell me more about yourself? You’re clearly training to be a huntsman, so, tell me about that.” She smiles softly as Ginger leans back and wipes his eyes again, nodding softly at her.   
“Alright. That… that would be nice, yeah. Well, I go to Beacon, after you all repaired it. I’m the leader of my team, Team SNNB. It’s me, my cousins Blanche and Noire, and our friend, Cherry,” He opens his mouth to say ‘Nikos’ until he remembers that they don’t know about Pyrrha’s survival just yet, “They definitely don’t make it easy on me but… honestly I wouldn’t have it any other way.”  
“Cousins?” Ruby tilts her head, smiling a bit, “Does that mean?” She nods her head towards her sister and Blake, who are holding each other close in their sleep. Ruby had always had her suspicions, and this would give her some wonderful teasing content.  
“Hm? Oh, yeah. They have three kids as of my time, with a fourth on the way. You have the twins, Blanche and Noire, and their son Clay. It’s too early to tell about the new baby though,” Ginger smiles softly as he goes through each of his cousins, their faces flashing through his mind. Blanche’s undying grin matching her bright, golden eyes and hair as she trains for the first time that day, lifting her first set of dumbbells for the day, starting off at 35 pounds and increasing after each set. Her signature laugh and proud lioness tail being the last things you can hear and see of her as she runs off. Noire, starting off the day helping Cherry out with her makeup before starting her own, admittedly more dramatic, then brushing her raven hair, being careful of her ears, she works so hard to maintain before going off to ensure her sister actually took care of herself before beginning her work out. Clay’s tanned baby face with a black and blue mark on his cheek as he explains he had to stand up for Noire, even when Noire would never hear the cruel words the other party had said. His lilac eyes shining with determination to be just like his mothers and sisters. Ginger would have to remember to stop by their home in Vale to visit the little rascal again. He hadn’t even noticed he had begun crying again while zoned out.  
“Ginger? Are you alright?” Ruby’s voice was laced with worry as she spoke. She slowly lifted her hand and wiped away his tears, “We can change the subject if you would like.”  
“Wha- oh. No, no, it’s fine. I’m sorry, I didn’t even realize.”  
“For trying to be quiet, you two sure are loud. Does that run in the family too?” Yang cuts Ginger off, having opened her eyes.  
“Oh, crud. Sorry, Yang,” Ruby frowns softly.   
“It’s alright, but you two need to get some sleep, alright? We’ll be in Atlas soon, and given the trouble it took us to get here, I doubt it’ll be a smooth entrance, unfortunately.” Yang sighs softly.  
“Alright. We’ll get to sleep now. Right, Ginger?”  
“Huh? Oh, yeah. Yeah, we’ll do that.” He nods. Yang, content enough with their agreement, nods and closes her eyes again, holding Blake a bit closer. Ruby smiles and stands, holding out a hand for Ginger.  
“It wouldn’t be fair to force you to stay on the ground. There’s just enough space by me for you to sit.” She says softly. Ginger blinks in surprise a few times before a small smile creeps onto his lips and he takes Ruby’s hand, accepting the pull up from the ground. She leads him over to where she was sitting previously, sitting before him and patting the spot right next to her, a soft smile still firmly planted on her face. Ginger takes the spot and yawns softly, closing his eyes. Within a few minutes, he was fast asleep, his head leaning on Ruby’s as she snored softly. Within a few short hours, they would be in Atlas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! If so, consider following my Instagram and Twitter. Shameless, I know, but I'll be posting art of the OCs and the Older characters there soon! You'll also get story updates on twitter.  
> Instagram: @_.talynbby._  
> Twitter: @_talynbby_


	3. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gang arrives in Atlas, for better or for worse. How will they navigate the city, and how will Ginger deal with seeing his home in it’s former condition?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ughhh writers block sucks! I’m sorry this took so long, and I hope you all enjoy. If you follow my other socials, I will be doing the older versions of the gang here soon.

“Hey, kids, wake up, you aren’t gonna wanna miss this.” Qrow’s gruff voice rouses the group from their slumber. Blake and Yang are the first awake, releasing each other from their hold before stretching in their respective ways, Yang lifting her arms above her head and yawning while Blake locks her fingers and stretches her arms out in front of her, swinging her head from side to side, allowing her neck to crack. Soon after them, the pile that makes JNR begins to grumble and move. First, Jaune lets go of Ren and stands up, lifting his arms up and leans up on his toes, then Ren slowly opens his eyes before softly shaking Nora’s shoulder. Nora, who is in Ren’s lap, whines softly, a quiet plea for five more minutes escaping her throat before being moved off of his lap and opening her eyes, rubbing them sleepily. That is, until she sees Ruby and Ginger. Ruby had shifted in the night to hold Ginger, who had also moved and was now leaning on Ruby. Nora gasps and grins, pointing at the two excitedly, finding the situation extremely adorable. Weiss was less than enthusiastic to be woken up, however.   
“Hm… do I have to?” Weiss huffs, despite already starting to stand.The thought of being back in Atlas despite everything she went through to leave wasn’t her favorite thing in the world.  
“Awe, don't be so icy Weiss!” Yang chuckles, “It’ll be fine. You’ve got us now!”  
“True… but I still worry. We are in a stolen airship.”  
Yang paused for a moment before shrugging and smiling, “It’ll be fine.” Weiss sighs softly before looking over at Ruby and Ginger and raising an eyebrow.  
“So… is anyone planning on waking them up or was that reserved for me?”  
“I mean, he is your son, Weiss” Yang smirks softly, crossing her arms.  
“I swear… I’m going to throw you off this ship, Yang.”  
“I love ya too, ice queen.” She chuckles softly as Weiss once again sighs. Weiss rolls her eyes, walking over to Ruby and Ginger, and softly shakes Ruby’s shoulder, inciting a yawn from the other girl.  
“Mmm… good morning,” Ruby smiles softly as she slowly opens her eyes, “Are we there?”  
“Almost, Ruby. Say, uh… would you mind waking up Ginger?” Weiss speaks softly. She is still hesitant about the whole situation with him. Firstly, now everyone knew about her little crush on her team leader. Secondly, it was jarring to have someone claim to be from the future, and for that someone to be your own son.   
“Huh? Oh, yeah. I’ll get him, don’t worry!” Ruby smiles before chuckling a bit, “Wow we really do sound like parents, huh?”  
“I… I suppose we do,” Weiss smiles softly, turning to shoot Yang a glare when said woman snickers. Ruby softly shakes Ginger’s shoulder, whispering soft ‘wake up’s until he finally starts to open his eyes.   
“Hm… good morning,” Ginger yawns softly, sitting up from Ruby and rubbing his eyes.   
“If we’re all awake now, you should all come see this view.” Qrow chuckles from the front as the kids come lining up to look out the windshield. There it was, Atlas, the city in the skys. The sunrise only served to make the sight even more stunning as the pinks and oranges reflect of the shimmering white buildings. The soft blue lights of the city mixed with the sun to appear a soft lavender color. The whole scene looked as if it could’ve been a painting. The group awed at the sight. All except for Weiss, who had noticed something entirely different.  
“I’ve… never seen Atlesian troops set up like this,” she said softly, leaning forward as if to get a better view. It didn’t make sense. This had to be the entire military besides the Argus base. She knew that General Ironwood recalled troops but this… this looked like he was preparing for a fight. Ginger frowned softly as he looked up where Weiss’ attention was, and he was inclined to agree. This wasn’t a typical form for the military to take. Suddenly, the radio system buzzes to life, however, Qrow quickly instructs Maria to ignore the officer on the other line, and head to Mantle instead until they find out what was happening in Atlas. It would be their safest bet. At least until they could find out just what the situation was.   
“Well if that’s the route we’re going, I know just where we should go!” Maria chuckles. At this point, Maria was here for one thing and one thing only, the thrill. These kids were the most exciting thing to happen to her in, well, decades! Even more so with this one claiming he’s from the future. This is getting more and more fun for her by the minute. Soon, they land their very much stolen airship, and make a quick escape, attempting to blend into the crowd of Mantle. Maria leads them through the streets littered with graffiti and ancient heating systems. The people around them were mumbling about various topics, an election, the embargo, the wall around Mantle, and a few other things. It was mostly a smooth walk, minus one destroyed camera drone. However, a drunk man seemingly also wants to cause them trouble. Namely, Blake. It started off with a simple remark by Blake noting the state of the city, which she quickly apologized for. That’s where the problem begins.  
“You.. you stupid faunus,” the man slurs as he fiddles with the cap of his flask, attempting to open it for more of whatever alcohol was inside, “you wouldn’t… you don’t know anything.” With that last comment, Ruby started to move, only to stop when suddenly, the man goes flying into a dumpster. Ruby turns to see Weiss, who had used her semblance, shrug softly.  
“Worth it,” she nods, before spotting some Atlesian drones, and motions for the group to follow her as she jogs off to catch up to the rest of the group. Soon, they came across a pharmacy, Maria leading them inside. The inside is inviting, soft yellow lights made the room look as warm as it felt, a nice contrast to the outside they had just come from. Behind the counter there is an elderly man in a walking chair. He looks over at the group and smiles, his kind eyes crinkling as he does so.   
“Ah, hello! How may I help you all today?” He says, his voice rough, as if he was suffering from a cough, yet still inviting.   
“Maria, optical implants? You adjust them every ten years or so?” Maria steps up, holding onto her cane. The man gets a bit closer to her, squinting his eyes before recognition floods his expression.  
“Ah, Maria!” He smiles brightly, coming out from behind the counter and offering Maria a hand as they head to the lone exam table, “I adjust your optical implants about every ten years or so! My, my, you look as good as ever.”  
“Ah yes, I age like a fine wine,” Maria chuckles to herself as she gets up on the exam table, “I would’ve been here sooner, but I ran into this group on the train to Argus, and thought they could use my guidance. However, they’re all a lot craftier than they look.”   
“I hate to interrupt but, who is this?” Yang interjects, frowning softly and crossing her arms.  
“Well I didn’t think I would need to introduce one of Atlas’ greatest minds! This is-“  
“Doctor Pietro Polendina, Atlesian scientist and a part time volunteer,” Ginger interrupts as well, his eyes wide. Unfortunately, in his time, Doctor Polendina had passed away shortly after Ginger’s birth. However, his daughter, Penny, would always tell stories about him when she would visit with the Rose-Schnees. Maria sighs and smiles, shaking her head. This kid certainly knew a lot.  
“Ah, yes. That is me. And you all are…” Pietro’s eyes wander across the group before landing on Yang, “You… painted it.”   
“Huh? Do you know about it?”  
“Well of course! I made it! My goodness, you’re all Team RWBY!” He smiles softly, “My daughter has told me all about you four.”  
“Your… daughter?” Ruby asks timidly, right before red light floods in through the window, and alarms begin blaring. Instantly, both teams are on their guard, as Qrow opens the door and runs out, the rest of the group following him soon after to witness two Atlesian drones get torn to shreds by two Sabyrs. Instantly, the groups go into action. While the others work flawlessly together, including Oscar, Qrow and Ginger fight alone. Qrow opts to use his shotgun, while Ginger uses his scythe. He has plenty of experience with Sabyrs, having grown up in Atlas. They were a perfect warm up for the huntsman in training. Being a faster type of Grimm, they forced Ginger to work in speed with his melee weapon forms, perfect for his fighting style. He effortly sliced through two Sabyrs, keeping his footing steady as he shifted his upper body, a typical Atlesian style of fighting specialized for those with slicing type weapons. Yang looks over at him and whistles, giving the kid a thumbs up. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t worried about him. She has no idea what all the kid knows, and what if he got hurt? There’s no way Future Weiss would be happy with that at all. Regardless, she couldn’t help but feel a tad bit protective of the kid. He reminded her of Weiss during their first year, and only, year at Beacon. He was cold, but you could see a type of fire in his eyes. She could only hope he didn’t get over zealous in his abilities like Weiss would, for his own sake.  
Suddenly, as more Sabyrs were appearing, so did a bright green light, no, laser. It cut through the Sabyrs like they were nothing more than a baby Death Stalker. Once the Sabyrs were dealt with, a silhouette appeared in front of the moon. It danced in the light for a moment as it began to land. Ruby gasps softly as the figure comes into view. Bright red hair, accompanied by green? There was only one person that could be.  
“Penny?” Ruby speaks softly, her eyes wide. Ginger looks over, and tilts his head a bit. So this is what Penny looked like when she was younger? Penny turns and gasps excitedly, a grin forming on her face.  
“Ruby!” She calls out, before crouching towards the ground, like a sprinter at the beginning of a race, “Sal… U… Tations!” Penny takes off, tackling Ruby into a hug. Ruby could feel herself tearing up as she hugs back tightly, gripping the back of Penny’s dress.  
“Penny… I thought… I thought you…”  
“You thought she died? Well… in a sense, she had!” Pietro walked over with Maria, “however, since we were able to recover her core from Amity colosseum, I was able to rebuild her. Good as new, isn’t that right, daughter?”  
“Why, yes, sir!” Penny laughs softly, helping Ruby up, “oh I cannot wait to catch up with you all!” Suddenly, distant alarms began going off, and Penny’s attention turns. “Ah! It would appear I have to wait! As the official protector of Mantle, duty calls!” She grins, taking off in the direction of the sirens. Ruby stands there for a moment, a single year falling as her smile grows. Penny… was okay. At least Ruby hadn’t lost two friends that night.  
“Well then, let’s all get back inside,” Pietro smiles, beginning to head back to the pharmacy with Maria. The group looks at each other and shrugs before starting to follow him. Qrow suddenly felt something… off. But the feeling came too little, too late. One by one, each member of the group was restrained tightly by a set of Atlesian cuffs. Unfortunately for Ginger, the sudden restraint reminded him far too much of the moth Grimm that got him here. His natural reaction was to try to escape. Desperately, his body tries to activate his semblance, either part, as he struggles against the ropes, which stopped his semblance from going, his breathing picking up as he continues. However, this only gains him a foot on his back.   
“Ginger!” Ruby cries out, “Hey! Get- get off of him!” She struggles against her restraints as well, desperately hoping to get to Ginger.  
“Stop struggling, kid. The cuffs keep people with transforming semblances from doing so.” A voice says. Ginger stops for a moment, recognizing the voice as Harriet Bree’s. The Ace Ops had restrained them, great.  
“There’s no need to be that rough, Hare. The kid was panicking, a foot to the back doesn’t help.” A man’s voice calls out as he picks up the Lamp of Knowledge, and clips it to his own belt. Ginger quickly recognized it as Clover Ebi’s voice.   
“Hey pal, what’s the big deal. I’m a licensed huntsman,” Qrow growls softly.   
“What are the Ace Ops even doing here in Mantle?” Pietro says, having turned in time to see the Ace Ops appear.  
“Ah, Doctor. Well, we had a report of an unauthorized ship, making an unauthorized landing, followed by a report of an unauthorized use of weapons,” Clover counts off each report on his fingers, a small smile on his face.  
“If we could just talk-“  
“They’ll have a chance to talk. Up in Atlas. Ace Ops, head back.” Clover turns towards his team, nodding at them as they all go off in separate directions to make it back to Atlas, as two droids load the group into a transport ship to be taken up to Atlas.


	4. A Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss talks to Ginger about what happened with the ace ops.

After the transport up to Atlas, the crew got off at Atlas Academy. While Ruby had become engulfed in thoughts of what should be said and what should be kept close to their chests, Weiss had decided to stick by Ginger. Weiss was less than happy with how the Ace Operatives treated them, but she was most pissed about how the one had treated Ginger. Despite their hands being restrained, Weiss managed to at least hook her pinky around Ginger’s. Despite not knowing him, as a result of him technically not being born yet, Weiss felt extremely close to him. She wanted to protect him, and she felt absolutely horrible that she hadn’t been able to help him when he was panicking earlier. She would have to ask him about it when she got the chance. But for now, she could only hope she was able to comfort him a small amount as they made their way to the General’s office. They enter a rotunda, colored in Atlas’ signature colors of cold blue, and somehow, even colder white. That’s when Penny, alongside Winter and the General showed up. “Oh! There you all are!” Penny says as she turns and offers them a large grin. Her sudden outburst gains Ironwood and Winter’s attention, causing them to turn around to. For a split second, Weiss and Winter’s eyes lock, and Weiss steps up, accidentally dragging Ginger with. Quickly, Winter snapped back into work mode, and glared at the two soldiers accompanying the group. “You have ten seconds to take those cuffs off before I begin hurting you.” She says firmly. The two men look at each other for a moment in silent shock before quickly turning and getting the cuffs off of each member of the party. “I… apologize, about your reception,” Ironwood frowns softly, motioning for them to follow him into his office, “but please understand, we were suspicious of a ship not reporting in, then weapons being involved..” he sighed softly, waiting for every to be in the room before sitting down at his desk, Penny and Winter taking their spots at his sides. “Well I can’t say I haven’t had it worse,” Qrow nods softly. “I completely understand. We, uh… we did kinda steal the ship,” Ruby chuckles nervously, not noticing Winter’s eyes widening. “You what?! Weiss I can’t believe you’d be so irresponsible! What if you were shot down, or- or-“ she was soon cut off by her younger sister hugging her tightly. “I’m sorry I worried you Winter, but… I did what I had to do,” Weiss speaks softly. Winter hesitates before hugging her sister back. After a few moments the two let go, and Winter’s glare lands on Qrow. “I understand, Weiss. But I can’t believe you let them do this!” “Hey! You try to stop these kids when they have their minds set. They nearly gave my old ass a heart attack.” Qrow smiles fondly. Winter shakes her head and returns to Ironwood’s side. “We uh.. we have some things we want to talk to you about, though, sir.” Ruby timidly adds. “Oh! Is it about the relics?” Penny smiles. “Or perhaps the winter maiden?” Winter frowns. “Wait- you told them, James?” Qrow’s face is one of complete shock as his old friend chuckles softly. “After Beacon… you aren’t the only one who needed help, Qrow. The Ace Operatives were also made aware.” “I.. that’s fair. But, what’s your plan?” “I’m so glad you asked.” James smiles softly as he pulls out a remote control, and taps a button. The shutters slam closed, the door clicks as it locks, and a panel in the floor begins raising, forcing Ruby and Oscar to move back. One the panel finishes raising, a hologram appears, displaying Amity colosseum, “With global communications down, it’s become increasingly difficult to stay united. However, we have a plan to fix this issue.” “We’re turning it into a satellite CCT tower! Isn’t that amazing?” Penny excitedly injects. “Since it will be high in the atmosphere, it won’t be affected by Grimm, and will be able to cover the entire globe.” Winter adds, nodding. “That doesn’t explain the troops, James.” “That… is for part two. Where we tell the people about our enemy, about Salem.” James says solemnly. “That will cause a panic. James you can’t be serious!” “I certainly am. We start with Atlas and Mantle. Then the rest of the world. We will gladly assist the other kingdoms with Grimm control from the inevitable panic,” James nods, “I only wish Ozpin were here to guide us.” “Well, um… about that,” Oscar timidly speaks. “Oscar here is the next Oz, James,” Qrow quickly says for the timid child. James' eyes soften with relief as he quickly walks over to Oscar, getting on one knee so he was more Oscar’s height. “Ozpin, I’m so glad you’re here-“ “Uh, not… not quite. Ozpin has kinda gone… radio silent..?” Oscar speaks softly. “That’s.. not normal,” the General frowns softly, “What happened?” “We’re not sure. We got into a train crash, and he was gone. We’re sorry,” Ruby quickly says, much to Oscar’s relief. James stands, walking back to his desk and getting the Lamp before returning to Ruby, handing it to her. “Here. As a sign of trust, I want you to have this back.” He gives her a small smile as she nods and takes it, clipping it back to her belt, “Anyways. I want to offer you all to work with us in this plan. Of course, working with us will give you access to the best the Atlesian Military has to offer. ...I have one question first though. There’s only one more of you I don’t recognize. Who is he?” Ginger freezes up a bit. Shit, now was the time to test their lie. “My name is Ginger Rose. I’m- uh- I’m Ruby’s cousin, from Argus. After Haven shut down, I went home, and found them there.” Ginger spurts out, hoping his answer will be satisfactory. James looks over at Qrow with an eyebrow raised. “Summer never talked much about her family. I knew about him as much as anyone else did,” Qrow shrugs, “Kid really helped us out though. He’s trustworthy, and all caught up to speed. You can count on him.” “Alright… I trust you, Qrow. To start, we’ll get your weapons up to Atlas standards,” the General smiles softly as a video of Blake with her broken blade appears on a holoscreen. Blake blushes softly and looks away. “You all can go now. I’m sure Penny would be glad to show you around.” As they make their way out, they come across the Ace Ops waiting in the rotunda, chatting amongst themselves. Clover spots the group and shushes down his team and walks over to Ruby, smiling kindly. “I want to apologize about how we treated you earlier. We-“ he was quickly cut off by his tall teammate Elm Ederne, who took Ruby’s hand and began to shake it… very enthusiastically. Ginger couldn’t help but do a double take on all of them as they were talking. The Ace Ops he knew were far different from what he was seeing here. He wonders what happened to make them all change so much. Eventually, Penny cuts them off so she can take the group around the school, and to their rooms. She stops at the entrance to the dorms. “A quick question, how are the rooms being split, with 9 of you?” She asks cheerfully, tilting her head a bit. “...Why don’t you share a room with Ginger, Oscar?” Jaune suggests. “Oh, um, sure. I can do that.” Oscar smiles and nods. Penny then leads them to three different rooms, leaving Oscar and Ginger alone. Oscar fiddles with his jacket a bit before looking over at Ginger, “You… you know me in the future, right..? What… what am I like?” “I Uh… I don’t know how much I should share but… whatever you’re worried about, I can assure you it’s all alright. You’re amazing. And I’m glad to have you in my life,” Ginger gives a small smile, “You’ve helped me in more ways than one.” Oscar stares at him wide eyed for a moment before grinning, his fears eased a bit. “Ah, thank you,” Oscar responds, taking off his coat. “Of course. ...would you mind answering something a little personal for me?” “Hm? What is it?” “Those bandages. I've never seen you without them. What are they covering?” “Oh. Well… my parents were huntsmen. My dad died when I was just a baby. My mom got depressed and we moved in with my Aunt Em. Well… when I was still a baby, a large grimm attacked because it could sense mom. I started crying, and it came after me. The bandages just… hide some nasty looking scars. Mom died protecting me.” “Oh. I… I’m so sorry to hear that. That couldn’t have been easy for you.” “It wasn’t but… that’s why I’m almost glad to be here. Now.. now I can help people too, like how my parents did.” Oscar smiles softly, fiddling with his bandages. “That’s a noble goal to have,” Ginger nods, smiling, quickly changing into the pajamas that Atlas Academy provided. Then there were three thuds on the door, someone knocking. Ginger looks over at Oscar, who gives Ginger a thumbs up, “come in!” The door opens, revealing Weiss, her hair down and concern filling her eyes. She clearly wanted to talk to Ginger, alone. Oscar looks between the two and nods, walking out. He would go talk to JNR for a little bit. As soon as Oscar left the room, Weiss walks in, closing the door, and over to Ginger. She softly takes Ginger’s hands into her own, softly running her thumbs over his knuckles. “Would you like to talk about what happened earlier?” She says softly, sitting on one of the beds, urging Ginger to do the same. “Oh, you… you noticed that too, huh?” Ginger sighs softly, sitting next to Weiss. “Of course I did,” she nods softly, “are you okay, Ginger?” “I’m… i'm alright now. It just… reminded me of the grimm that got me here in the first place, and I couldn’t think straight. I just wanted to get out,” he frowns softly, looking down at Weiss’ and his hands. Thankfully, thanks to Weiss’ grip, his hands weren’t visibly shaking, but he could feel them trying to shake. “Ginger, I… I may not be the mother you know, however, I want to make sure you know I will be here for you all the same, until you can get back to, well, future me.” Weiss spoke softly, gently squeezing Ginger’s hands, “We’ll get you home, I promise.” “Thank you…” Ginger’s voice trembled softly, tears beginning to fall down his cheeks and onto their hands, “Thank you so much.” “Of course, Ginger,” Weiss nods. She lets go of one of his hands, moving her newly empty hand up to his face to wipe his tears, “There’s no need to cry. Get some rest tonight. You deserve it.” A few days later, the General requested the group to team up with the Ace Operatives to clear out an old SDC mine. The kids all had their upgrades completed, and Qrow now had plenty of rest. Even better, all of them had new outfits to help deal with the cold. Winter walks into the airship hanger as they are all preparing to leave. “Good morning all of you. I have team assignments,” the moments the words left her mouth, RWBY and JNR were instantly surrounding the poor special operative, “ah, yes. Hello. Team Omega will contain Operatives Ederne and Zeki, alongside team JNR. Team Beta will be Operatives Bree and Amin, alongside team RWBY. Team Alpha is to be Operative Ebi along with Qrow Branwen and Ginger Rose. ...Watch each other’s backs out there today.” As she finished that final sentence she glanced over at Clover and her meaning became clear to the operative, ’keep an eye on the unknown variable.’ “Alright. You heard her kids, let’s pack up and go,” Clover says, chipper as ever. He keeps a smile on his face until all of the children are in the Manta before letting it drop, giving Winter a soft nod. A silent agreement. ’Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on him.’ Landing was always the hardest part of any jumping, at least it was for Ginger. His gun wasn’t as tough as his mother’s, and only slowed him so much. So, more often not, Ginger finds himself in situations exactly like the one he was in now. Hurling towards the landing point, having to resist every urge to go into his semblance too early. Otherwise, he would quite literally be blown away. As the ground gets too close for his comfort, he quickly transforms, forcibly moving himself towards the cave entrance before changing back. Unfortunately for him, he was still moving way too fast. Ginger falls over, sliding back into the tunnel a bit. Qrow quickly looks over at Clover before jogging over to the boy, offering him a hand up. “Looks like you still need work on that one, kid,” Qrow says softly as Ginger takes his hand, letting his grandfather pull him up. “I… try to avoid jumping for that reason,” Ginger sighs softly, rubbing his lower back. Ice hurts like hell to land on. “Well, you’ll never get better if you avoid it,” Clover chips in, giving Ginger’s shoulder a solid pat as he walks past. Ginger nods softly and turns, following Clover into the cave. Suddenly, Ginger was extremely thankful for the outfit upgrade. He had nearly forgotten how cold his home was, but this mine was far FAR worse. It is the type of cold that sinks through your clothing and deep into her skin, gnawing at your bones. What little warmth the three of them gave off was instantly devoured by the cold. It may have once been warm, when it was full of underpaid and overworked faunus workers, but all that remains of those times are an occasional lonely pickaxe, and the negative energy of the workers. That was what kept the gheist here. That residual negative energy fed the grimm, and it wouldn’t easily give that up. However, while Ginger was deep in thought about where they were, Clover and Qrow continued in friendly banter. “Just sayin’, it’s been a long time since I’ve worked with anyone. I’ve found it’s best to keep my distance.” “I don’t think you’ll have too much of a problem with me around.” “Oh? Really? What makes you say that-“ Qrow is quickly cut off by a crash as the gheist makes its appearance. Qrow frowns and begins shooting at the floating grimm as Clover gets onto the comms to tell the others that their target has been spotted. Ginger bites his lip, unsure of what to do. Gheists were known to be tricky, but this one was bound to be worse, given its age. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have to wait long for an answer. The gheist collects some rubble to form a body, and uses that to bust through the floor. Qrow groans and puts his sword back onto his back. Clover chuckles and moves forward, only for Qrow to quickly stop him and pull him back as a large rock falls in front of them, “Careful!” “Oh- well, lucky me, huh?” Clover grins, chuckling a bit. “Almost UNLUCKY you!” Qrow frowns, looking away, “that was my semblance. Bad luck.” “Well, I guess we make perfect partners, because my semblance is good luck.” Suddenly, Ginger understands exactly why neither of them talked about this mission. The flirting was obvious, and Ginger wanted out. He quickly walks past them, whistles a bit, and jumps into the hole left behind. The sounds of the others encountering the gheist began very quickly, and he follows the sound. The fight was already almost done when they arrive. The ace ops were now catching the dust pieces. As Clover walks out, a piece quite literally flies into his arms, causing the man to laugh and make a quick pun on his semblance. However, while the rest of the group was focused on one rogue piece of dust, Ginger notices a different chunk falling from the ceiling. He quickly jumps off the platform he, Clover, and Qrow were on, catching the chunk midair. Then he realized that he was far too high up. Him hitting the ground would cause the dust to react. He frowns and activates the defensive portion of his semblance so that the small explosion would be contained, and not cause the rest of the dust in the cave to go with it. His aura flickers as the dust explodes in his semblance, and he changes back, coughing a bit, barely noticing the thirteen pairs of eyes on him. “Ginger!” Yang calls out, running over to him, “Are you alright?” Soon, the rest of RWBY joins Yang by him. He chuckles nervously and gives a thumbs up as Weiss offers him a hand to get up. He happily accepts and dusts himself off. “Wow.. nice catch kids, both of you,” Harriet says, nodding to Ginger and Ruby, who both give an awkward grin. Once they leave, James pulls Clover over to the side alone, “What do you think of Ginger?” The General’s voice was hushed. They had attempted to look Ginger up, but all information on the child was corrupted or blank. However, for the next part of his plan, he needed to give them all huntsmen licenses. He needed to know if they could trust the stranger. “The kid can handle it. He needs a bit of work, but they all do. But he’s trustworthy, promise.” Clover nods, glancing over at the boy, who was awkwardly standing as Marrow tried to talk to him. He laughs softly, “Although, he reminds me a bit of you, sir.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! That gheist scene was giving me so much trouble!!


End file.
